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An assault on all our rights
Conservative Party leader David Cameron writes for News of the World: -
UNDER FIRE: Gordon Brown
THE horrific scenes in Mumbai this week remind us all of the real danger we face in confronting terrorism. This was not just an attack on India and Indians-it was an attack on the modern world and British people too.
But we shouldn't ignore what's happened back home. On Thursday, my spokesman on immigration, Damian Green, was arrested and questioned by the police-after he made public information that the government wanted to keep secret from you.
The Prime Minister has simply repeated that he "had no prior knowledge" and this is "a police matter".
Frankly, that's not good enough. The question is, does he think it is right for an MP who has apparently done nothing to breach our national security to have his home and office searched by a dozen counter-terrorist police officers, his phone, BlackBerry and computers confiscated, and to be arrested and held for nine hours?
Why is it so important that the Prime Minister tells us what he thinks?
Because people want to know what their political leaders think about the right to vigorous opposition in politics, the right to publish information which is in the public interest, the rights of MPs holding the government to account, and the rights of Parliament itself.
Let me take each of those in turn.
When it comes to vigorous opposition, if this approach had been in place in the 1990s, then Gordon Brown would have spent most of his time under arrest. He made his career from passing on Whitehall leaks.
And he'll be guilty of hypocrisy if he doesn't speak out. On the right to publish information in the public interest, people are asking valid questions about where this will all lead.
After all, if they arrest a politician for passing on information, will they next arrest the journalists who publish it?
On the rights of MPs to hold government to account, of course no one is above the law. But in a democracy there is an important line to be drawn when it comes to acting in the public interest.
For example, you have a right to know that the Security Industry Authority had granted licences to 5,000 illegal workers-even if that's embarrassing to the government.
Shocked
That's one of the facts Damian Green made public. And that leads me to the rights of Parliament itself. It's the Queen's Speech this week, where we honour the stance made by Speaker Lenthall just before the Civil War in 1642.
Whenever I show schoolchildren around Parliament, I always stop before the painting of him bowing before King Charles I and tell them what he said: "I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak . . . but as this House is pleased to direct me".
Why is this image so important? Put simply, it shows in Britain, Parliament is sovereign. That's why I was so shocked when I got the first call from the police minutes before they entered Damian Green's office.
My initial reaction was to find out everything I could do about what had happened. And when I was able to satisfy myself that this was not about our national security but government embarrassment, shock turned to anger.
I'm convinced this is a watershed moment. That's why the question I put to the Prime Minister is so important.
Of course the police should have operational independence, but do you think it's right for them to behave in this way with respect to Parliament when what is at stake is the right of one and all to hold government to account?
I've made my opinions clear. It's time for the Prime Minister to do the same.
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This article has 38 comments
It saddens me to see what has been going on in one of my favorite countries. The ID card laws, the seeming presence of spy cameras on a scale that would shame the telescreen presence of 1984. And what is with these "Acts" that seem to cover everything anyone does?
Sad to say that we are not too far behind you with all this, but a lot of us are fighting it, and fighting hard. I sincerely hope my British friends will do the same. You have an expression there that fits all this perfectly. It is time to tell folks like Brown, et al, "This just isn't done!"
The Friendly Grizzly
Nashville Tennessee USA
By The Friendly Grizzly.. Posted December 14 2008 at 1:12 PM.
Maybe you'll take more notice of David Davis now? He was dead right. We are turning into a country without any civil rights. The insidious anti terrorism laws and ID card laws etc need to be repealed. Will you do that? If you say you will then you'll have my vote (an ex labour supporter who would have previously expected hell to freeze over before voting Tory).
By Russell.. Posted December 1 2008 at 12:28 PM.
Mr Cameron, you are right.
We can only demonstrate our revulsion now by casting our ballot at each and every election that comes along. Unless Mr Brown shows the good grace that has eluded him thus far and resigns he should- like a delinquent director- be removed from office.
It really is not right that you, Mr Brown, should attempt to hide away. You are quick enough to take the credit Mr Brown. And if you cannot take the blame at least take the responsibility and show some understanding of why all the people on this site are so angry.
That at last would be "a decision in the long term interests of the country".
Over to you Gordon.
By Thomas D.. Posted December 1 2008 at 11:29 AM.
Did you hear Brown say he was "speaking for the world" and going on about "one world order"?
That's megolamania. Seriously creepy. The man's a lunatic, he messed up our economy big time and now he's behaving like a tin pot dictator.
He has got go.
By Rise, England, Rise.. Posted November 30 2008 at 11:20 PM.
Oh. How sad to read the kneejerk Orwell's Animal Farm style reactions.
The action was indefensible. So do not bother trying to defend it. It just makes you look silly, like those people saying in the 1930s: "You can say what you like about the National Socialists! At least they have excellent roads in Germany!"
By Matt.. Posted December 1 2008 at 1:46 AM.
I was a Liberal, Skez MGee, and I'm going to support Cameron and the Conservatives now too. I won't vote for the Lib Dems any longer because they're EU mad and I'm sick of the corrupt and unaccountable EU. There are lots of people like you and me who used to support other parties and who would throw up if you called us Tories but who now support David Cameron's Conservatives.
Sick of Dictator Brown and being governed by the Scots Mafia - and aren't we all? - teach Brown a lesson he won't forget, vote for Cameron!
By Rise, England, Rise.. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:22 PM.
If this Government fails to speak out and ACT on this matter of a breach of an enshrined freedom for our MPs to speak out in the public interests this really has to be the last straw for this pathetic Labour Government.
As a 'traditional working class Labour Supporter' I'm afraid I have long since given up on them.
If you had asked me in my earlier years to vote for the Conservative party I would have spat.
Now I welcome them as the only possible responsible, worthy,honourable and decent party to govern our country.
How times change!
By Skez Magee.. Posted November 30 2008 at 9:02 PM.
Our parents and grandparents made huge sacrifices for our freedom and democracy during the last war. Millions died for our freedom and democracy. If they were alive now and saw what Brown's done to their children they'd wonder why they bothered
Our families did not fight Hitler for one of our own Prime Ministers to turn our country into a police state and destroy our democracy. But that's what Brown and Zanu Labour are doing.
They didn't fight Hitler for a British PM to watch us with pilotless spy drones in the sky either. What sort of people does Brown think we are???
Next election, Brown and Labour are OUT!
By Rise, England, Rise.. Posted November 30 2008 at 8:31 PM.
Just make sure you all do your duty people, and vote Conservative at the next election. We must all punish labour & brown for what they've done over the last 11yrs. Lets wipe out labour. Permanantly.
By Stu Forster.. Posted November 30 2008 at 6:26 PM.
gordon brown is a dictator in the same vein as adolf hitler or remeniscent of gorbachovs russia.
the germans had the gestapo
the russians had the secret police
we have the counter terrorism police
gordon brown is an unelected dictator and tony blairs puppet blair was a dictator now gordon is following suit.
NEXT ELECTION VOTE BNP
By andy hopkinson .. Posted November 30 2008 at 6:02 PM.
The only difference between Gordon Browns mob
and Al Capones Mob is Gordons Brown mob dress in modern Clothes
By Dave.. Posted November 30 2008 at 4:45 PM.
Good article, but David Cameron had better make sure his party takes issues of civil liberties a darn sight more seriously than they have done so far. That means for the ordinary citizen and not just for MPs.
Labour and Tory Governments have been whittling away at the hard-won rights and freedoms of the British people for the past three or four decades and now we have got to this state of affairs.
By Technomist.. Posted November 30 2008 at 3:57 PM.
The way Brown new labour socialism is heading we'll soon loose our freedom.
If we are not careful we will end up under Stalinist dictatorial regime. God help us I have lived under that kind of regime.
By L Kozak.. Posted November 30 2008 at 3:23 PM.
mr cameroon thats what is happening with eveb decent citizens.They are raided in front of their kids and family,humiliated and made to suffer but we dont see or get an uproar.To make matters worse they dont even get an apology from the government or even the police. Our cevil liberties are being taken away from this government,the way things are going it will not be long till we are living in a banana republic,with the id cards,unlawful detentions and the antiterror police who are abusing their powers. i have never voted conservatives but god come the next election am going to even if they have a monkey for a leader. I will be glad vto see the back of brown and the scottish clique in government. i cant even afford to pay the morgage,cant heat my house because its expensive,no money no hope and all because of a labour government which is suppossed to champion the causes vof the vaverage or working families.Tony blair's era seems a long while now and if only we knew that brown will put us in this mess.hindsight is a beautiful thing.
By john hepburn.. Posted November 30 2008 at 3:04 PM.
Very good article by David Cameron. I totally agree with him, Labour have gone too far this time. I will be voting Tory at the next election.
By Kirsty.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:52 PM.
Carl, you are an idiot: "I don't recall the Tories whining about the Police when they were investigating Labour MPs, in fact far from it. So shut it Dave, you are a hypocrite."
Firstly, there is no comparison between the cash for honours affair and Damian Green holding this Government to account - after all, Brown himself used leaks extensively to embarrass the Tory Government when he was in opposition. Secondly, even during the Cash for Honours investigation, police were not allowed to violate Parliamentary privilege and search the Commons rooms of those under suspicion. We are living under a frightening Government led by a control freak who was never elected leader.
By Richard.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:47 PM.
So the UK is closer to Zimbabwe than everybody thinks!
It looks like Gordon Brown has taken a leaf out of Robert Mugabes book on dealing with the opposition!
By da dude from africa.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:33 PM.
Britain has slowly sleep-walked into becoming a police state since 1997. It will take hard work, and much determination for us to re-claim it from Brown and his like. However, the electorate will have to wake up first. JD.
By Jonathan Dickson.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:03 PM.
There is an interesting old video of Gordon Brown on Guido Gawkes' blog, where he confesses to "procuring misconduct in public office" while he was in opposition. It shows what a hypocrite Gordon Brown really is - apparently, it was okay for him to have done it, but not for his political opponents.
By Gooey Blob.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:08 PM.
What I don't understand after this episide is why the government says the police need more powers. They seem to have plenty powers enough.
By michael.. Posted November 30 2008 at 12:39 PM.
From the people that have gone "Awwwww he used Mumbai to have a pop at the PM!" evidently haven't read the article, or never sat down and watched PMQ's.
It's fairly standard parlimentary speak to get the notification and regrets out of the way before launching onto a statement, or attack on the PM. It's respectful to note tragedy before getting "Stuck in" to a rant.
Also, hypocrisy for the Labour MP's being investigated?
Not quite. The Police didn't raid the House of Commons during the Cash for Peerages scandal because the Serjant and Arms and the Speaker, Betty Boothroyd, didn't let them.
By James.. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:46 AM.
I can hardly believe this happened in Britain under a Labour government, it sounds more like Russia or China. It doesn't matter which political party you support or don't support, the tactics used to arrest and search an elected MP's home and office and the same to a civil servant, who were both trying to expose non-security related issues which the British public had the right to know about, smacks of Stalin at his worst. This was done deliberately to frighten off any others from trying to expose the scandals which are being kept from the public. Its time people woke up before its too late.
By C. Parkingson.. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:43 AM.
Good for Cameron. But one point that has been missed is that this was signed off by Paul Stephenson the acting head of the Met. He made the calls to the various senior people. Boris should say now that that rules him out of consideration for the top Met job permanently. Let us have a good copper for London, not another politician.
By Philip.. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:33 AM.
I don't recall the Tories whining about the Police when they were investigating Labour MPs, in fact far from it. So shut it Dave, you are a hypocrite.
By Carl .. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:30 AM.
Why has Dave Cameron used the Mumbai attacks to have a go at the government?
This man wants to be PM and uses this horific incident as a shoehorn to have a pop at the current PM.
Maybe the Conservatives haven't changed.
Heres one less voter they can count on.
By Tina Charles.. Posted November 30 2008 at 10:21 AM.
This sinister so called government should be quickly booted out at the earliest possible moment,many of its mps were either communists or marxists,Alistair Darling and John Reid was just two of many,i voted labour all my life up until the last election,but never again,what they have turned our once great nation into is nothing short of traiterous.I hope the decent ,hardworking,law abiding people of this country wake up and smell the coffee before its too late,Mr Cameron is our only hope of getting our country back.
By carol Taylor.. Posted November 30 2008 at 6:53 AM.
DNA database
End to double jeopardy
ID cards
Detention without trial
Logging of emails and phone calls
The Home Secretary's list of "unacceptable behaviours"
CCTV with face recognition
More CCTV cameras per person than any other country
I could go on a lot longer but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck then it's obvious what it is and the UK IS a police state, not becoming one - IS one.
My grandfather would despair of what has been done to his country in the bogus 'war on terrorism'
By B. Cauldwell.. Posted November 30 2008 at 6:50 AM.
Now you know why Brown and Co. cannot be trusted on plans to extend detention for terrorist offences. Terror laws have been abused to spy on people by councils, arrest protesters, throw an old man out of a labour conference, and now to silence the opposition. The police officer in charge should be sacked, the speaker sacked for allowing them in the commons, and Brown booted out for destrying British values one by one.
By Damo.. Posted November 30 2008 at 5:38 AM.
Its a police matter.... nothing to do with the government trying to silence the opposition and exposing what an incompetent bunch they really are....
If you believe that, then?
ZaNu-Labour springs to mind.
By Mark Williams.. Posted November 30 2008 at 3:57 AM.
God all mighty! Just here the Labourites drone on! Looks like they are all using a script, for Heaven's sake!
This is more serious than you realise, Labourites!
By Matt.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:52 AM.
Dave Camerons worried about our civil liberties, don't make me laugh.Does he not forget what party he runs, and how they ruined civil liberties in this county.Oh I forgot, they are now the shiney new Tories that care for everyone.What was that new polict from last year MILLIONAIRES should die tax free.He may be smarmy,gelled haired and young looking but like all his friends from Bullingdon he has wedged into his inner circle they are old Tory who only care for their own.
Next he will say he Knows how we feel with this world recession because he and his multi-millionaire wife have had to sack one of thier butlers in one of thier four,yes four, houses.
All this feigned shock and horror over Green is to mask the fact that they haven't got a clue about how to pull us out of this world recession and it was becoming obvious to the public they were clueless, all they have done is critisise the government and offered nothinf.
If really you want to know about the morals of the man he uses the horrors of Mumbai in an attempt to have a go at the government.
God help us if he and his Bullingdon buddies get the keys to number 10.
By John Micheals.. Posted November 30 2008 at 2:15 AM.
If you tolerate this, then your children will be next.
We are in the hands of a madman.
By Chris Irvine.. Posted November 30 2008 at 1:00 AM.
I am now convinced that Gordon Brown is mentally unstable. After watching him grinning like a loon all the way through his disastrous emergency Budget, he now seems intent on silencing all critics. This is how it starts. Unless he is stopped, history is doomed to repeat itself. This is not the Britain I want my child to grow up.
New Labour = New Fascists!
By Chris Irvine.. Posted November 30 2008 at 1:07 AM.
What a hypocrite David Cameron is! Strange is it not his concern over the arrest of colleague Damian Green - yet not one word of condemnation over the 13 British National Party activists arrested last Saturday and subsequently released without charge! Perhaps Mr. Cameron believes that civil rights only apply to Tories -well Mr. C - either we have civil liberty for all or we don't have civil liberty at all!
By William Essex.. Posted November 30 2008 at 12:30 AM.
Unfortunately we have a government who can cowardly hide behind, "It's in the interest of national security," or the outdated "Official Secrets Act," or "The defense of the Realm Act." Surely if Damian Green has no case to answer he should sue for defamation of character and hurt caused to his family. I'm sure a substantial seven figure payment to the charity of his choice would be welcome, and would show good will and the admittance that a serious mistake had been made and would not be repeated.
By Steve.. Posted November 30 2008 at 12:11 AM.
"An assault on all our rights " the title says. So its just a coincidence that it was the moment one of his collegues was treated this way, that it becomes an assult on ALL our rights.
And to think he accuses the PM of hypocracy....... now thats not only hypocritical but ironic as well
By Bradley Colmans.. Posted November 30 2008 at 12:02 AM.
And anyone else feel that "Dave" was paying lip service to the terrorist attack in this article, before he got onto the "real issue" he wanted to talk about.
By Bradley Colmans.. Posted November 29 2008 at 11:51 PM.
What else is the PM meant to say? Its an ongoing investigation. Any comments would be wrong at this stage. Not that I'm suggesting he has, but we dont know if the police are looking into a lot of other stuff, or what the "whitehall insider" they arrested last week had told the police about the role of the MP. I'm not saying that he has done anything wrong necessary, but the police are the ones who have to end up showing why they did what they felt they needed to do. Cameron knows the PM cant make any sort of comment about the case now that the police are investigating, but he demands answers to questions that either the PM has answered (i.e. he didnt know before the arrest that it was going to happen..... Believe that or not, but it has been answered) or ones that the PM cant answer at present.
Funny though Cameron didnt seem too worried about "the civil liberties" last week when the "Whitehall insider" was being arrested. I wonder why?
By Bradley Colmans.. Posted November 29 2008 at 11:50 PM.